


The Resurrection of Solo

by Spirit_Arcticclaw



Series: Star Wars: The Rise of the Grey Order [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo & Rose Tico Friendship, Canon Relationships, Canon Rewrite, Eventual Poe Dameron/Finn, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Rose Tico/Jannah, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gray Jedi, Gray Jedi Rey (Star Wars), Jealous Finn (Star Wars), Jedi Ben Solo, Jedi Finn (Star Wars), M/M, Major Character Undeath, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Multi, Non-Canon Relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pilot Poe Dameron, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Protective Finn (Star Wars), Red String of Fate, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resurrected Ben Solo, Resurrection, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Sith Empire, Trauma, rivals to friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21841321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit_Arcticclaw/pseuds/Spirit_Arcticclaw
Summary: A year after The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is surprised to find that Ben Solo is alive. Now, what remains of the mostly disbanded Resistance must pull Ben Solo from the Abyss. Along the way, they will discover secrets of the long past Jedi Order, undo the damage caused by The First Order, and find acceptance and peace regarding Ben Solo's past.On hiatus until further notice - I still have tons of ideas for this, but I wanna work on some original content. I'll basically just update when I feel like it.
Relationships: Finn & Rose Tico, Jannah/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron & Finn, Rey & Ben Solo
Series: Star Wars: The Rise of the Grey Order [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573642
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. | Abyss |

**Author's Note:**

> This goes out to the Reylo fandom. Y'all are an amazing group of writers & artists who deserved so much more than what you got when it came to the end of the film.
> 
> I'm hoping to maybe turn this into an entire series, composed of stories detailing the rest of Rey, Ben, & the rest of the Resistance's life after The Rise of Skywalker. This will probably be a long ongoing series, so I hope y'all enjoy it! Thanks for giving me a chance!
> 
> By the way, at the end of every chapter, I'll link to a few songs that influenced the tone of the chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo awakes in the Abyss a year after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

The darkness quelled and released its eerie grasp, letting him go as he surfaced to consciousness. Ben Solo opened his eyes for the first time in a year, though the darkness made it seem as if they were still closed. 

“Rey?” he called into the darkness. His voice trembled with uncertainty, and it startled him as it broke the dead silence with an echo. The air felt heavy, like a liquid still trying to drown him. He felt like he was being pulled down, so he instinctively reached his hand upward, stretching it, revealing a streak of red that flew upwards, lighting up the Abyss in a soft maroon glow.

The thin, red band wrapped around his left ring finger, and the light flowed up into the darkness, leading him somewhere. He lowered his hand down to his face and scanned it using the dim light. It was a red thread, knotted around his finger that was casting the gentle, comforting light. 

The thin and fragile thread continued upwards into what seemed to be infinity. It seemed to be his only lifeline in this Abyss He pulled the thread down and grabbed it with his left hand, further wrapping it around his hand and arm. Ben outstretched his leg, and looked down to see if he could change his footing, but saw nothing. 

He reached up, grabbing the thread with his right hand, hoisting himself upwards. Gliding upwards with ease, he continued to gather the red thread in his left hand.

As he continued onwards up into the darkness, his breath shook, and his eyes darted around, searching for any sign of where he could be. The pit of his stomach knotted with fear, and his mind crashed with waves of questions. 

“Where am I? Where’s Rey? Why can’t I feel her? Why can’t I feel the Force?” He stopped and sighed to himself, something which reverberated in this Abyss.

His stomach dropped, and he felt trapped. There was a pain enclosing around him, all over his body. Pain he could never escape. A longing desire to see Rey, to know if she was safe, and if she had stopped the mess he had created. He had expected to die and become a force ghost, like Luke. Or perhaps even to become one with Rey or the Force. 

The more he mulled it over, the more the gravity of the situation hit him. He began sinking back into the darkness. It felt like something was pulling him.

He clung onto the red thread, bitter with himself for being unable to do more. Tears streamed down his cheeks, dropping into infinity as he held his head down. His body shuddered with his sobs as he mourned. He thought he would at least be able to see his mother after dying. Perhaps even reconcile with Luke. He looked up at the red thread and held his breath.

He reached out into the Abyss, hoping to feel someone, anyone. His sobs grew louder as he gave an animalistic call. But the darkness pulled him back down ever so slowly. With all his strength, he again cried to the dark.

"Rey!" He sobbed and heaved and then took a shaky breath. He rested his head on the outstretched arm, still gripping the thread tightly. He pulled his left arm into his body and rested it on his heart as the red thread continued winding its way up to his arm and encircling the rest of his body.

"Rey," he whispered into the Abyss again. He closed his eyes, succumbing once more to the pain of darkness he had felt all his life.

He breathed, startled once again as he began feeling himself moving upwards again. Opening his eyes, he saw the dim maroon light glowing brighter, emitting a warm, scarlet hue. He looked up to see clouds of dark grey cutting through the vacuum black and fading into lighter tones. 

His eyes widened in disbelief and he grinned. Relief washed over him. As the grey consumed the black, the scarlet of the thread grew brighter, and Ben felt hopeful. He sighed as he smiled, and the warm greys and scarlets danced around him in a passionate duet.

Within an instant, he felt something else. A voice in his soul, a whispering sound, drawing him further up into the grey Abyss. Something haunted him. He closed his eyes and felt it once again. It was a little piece of his soul. He opened his eyes again, taking in the sight of the red thread. And then it made sense. It was her.

"Rey."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Musical Inspirations for this chapter:

[In The Dark Of Midnight - Andy Beck](https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10514885)

[Feel The Light - Jennifer Lopez](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aFEXKxdGoxg&list=RDAMVMaFEXKxdGoxg)

Thanks to this chapter's beta readers:

Saber @ <https://saberwolf.tumblr.com/>

Bee @ <https://theaberrantwritergirl.tumblr.com/>

Grace @ <https://thewarinourstarwars.tumblr.com/>


	2. | Fears |

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey goes about trying to fix the _Millenium Falcon_ on Tatooine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos! I hope you guys are liking it so far because I'm just getting started! Feel free to give your critique in the comments if you also write fanfiction. I also apologize for getting this out so late, school has been kicking my butt as of late. I meant to post it on Valentine's day but I had a few technical issues with beta readers and had to get Saber to help me again. I'll try to get the third chapter out by May but I can't promise anything. I will be posting two chapters a month for June and July (I hope anyway.) I think that's all for the updates, but please share it with people you think will like this!

Rey awoke early at the break of dawn as she used to on Jakku. Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up in bed. Silence. Once again she lived on the desert, fearing having to leave her comfort zone.

Rey pulled her knees to her chest and breathed deeply, trying her best to calm the chaotic emotions that woke with her in the morning. Every day the same thing happened.

She always asked herself, "What am I doing here? Why do I feel like I'm back where I started?"

But as soon as the questions came, she would shove them down, and promised herself she would let these feelings rise another day, a day that she knew would never come.

BB-8 stirred, recharged and ready to accompany Rey throughout the day. He rolled up next to Rey's bed, giving a good morning beep, breaking the uneasy silence.

"Good morning BB-8," Rey said in a gentle yet groggy voice. Rey sat on the side of the bed and stood up, moving across the bedroom to grab her daily clothes. She slipped a sleeveless shirt over her chest wraps and grabbed her leather belt, clicking it into place.

Rey walked out into the central area of the Lars' Homestead and immediately walked into the kitchen. Her stomach churned, aching for some food. She pulled her breakfast out, hoping that making quick work of this would settle her thoughts on her food—rather than everything else,

She had gone out to Mos Eisley yesterday to stock the pantry, so she served herself a healthy portion of everything. BB-8 whirred gently behind her, beeping a question over to Rey.

"Well, first—" Rey said in between bites, "I'm going down to Mos Eisley to trade some parts. The _Millennium Falcon_ broke down again a little while ago. I haven't fixed it." BB-8 nodded in response.

"After that," Rey said with her mouth full of savory meats and bread, "I'm taking the ship for a fly. I need to make sure it works after I replace the part."

BB-8 beeped over another question. Rey responded after swallowing, saying, "No, it's the hyperspace integrator."

BB-8 gave a confused beep and Rey added, "Yeah, I don't know why it broke. I guess it was just old.”

BB-8 beeped in agreement. As Rey’s chewing slowed, her mind wandered. She stared into nothingness as she thought. The pain seeped in through the cracks of the dam she had built up in her mind to hold back the flood of emotions ready to burst.

A bitter feeling in the pit of her stomach reminded her she was helpless. Something she hated. The pain twisted her stomach and pulled on her very being, like she was frozen and unable to get up from her chair, unable to save him.

BB-8 gave a concerned beep, snapping Rey out of her trance. “No, no, I'm fine Beebee," she reassured the little droid. "Let's—let's just go,” Rey said, getting up with a sigh. She stored her leftovers, grabbed her lightsaber, and made her way out of the homestead.

The suns were already high in the sky, beating down upon her and BB-8 as she trudged to the speeder bike. She scarcely noticed the oppressing feeling of her surroundings anymore.

When she first arrived, she had expected this place to be the start of a new adventure. A place she was going to so she could consult Luke and Leia on the next move she could make, but when she no longer felt Ben in the Force, she was immensely small all over again. Alone. And somehow disconnected from the Force.

And Poe was still mad about not getting his droid back.

Rey hooked BB-8 into the net in the back of the speeder bike. Rey went nowhere without him. He was one of the few friends she had on this desolate planet. Rey latched her lightsaber to her belt and started the speeder bike. It sluggishly sputtered to life.

She started, but the speeder stalled. “Stupid, kriffing old speeder,” she muttered as she kicked it. A question beeped from the net. “Nothing, Beebee,” Rey responded. She kicked it once more and sighed in frustration as the speeder roared to life again.

She was off, flying over the desert sands as the grains scratched her skin and goggles and weaved its way into her hair. The sky was blue, but the day was hardly beautiful.

Waves of blistering air crashed on her skin, and all she heard was her breath, and Beebee’s occasional stray beep, pointing out any unusual changes in the usual scenery. “Might want to check that out later,” Rey responded to one of his beeps. “Maybe I can salvage it for parts.”

Something inside her died after those words slipped out of her mouth. She thought she was past this. She thought she had found her purpose in life. What she was supposed to do…

… But without Ben, it was all meaningless to her.

Rey slowed down, entering the Mos Eisley city limits. She parked her speeder behind the usual rock, a place where no one would see it and steal it, and slipped off the speeder with a sigh before she pulled her hood up. She unhooked the net and let BB-8 off with a thunk.

They proceeded into Mos Eisley, and she had immediately begun collecting stares. The alien whispers floated around her as she stepped further into the city.

“She calls herself a Skywalker.”

“I heard she was just another scavenger.”

“A powerful one at that. I hear she single-handedly took down the First Order.”

“No way that could be true! Just look at the little rat.”

She always hated Mos Eisley. An air of judgment and mystery followed her like a thick haze on a Naboo morning. No one cared for her eerie presence.

No one liked that she called herself a Skywalker. Now Skywalker was a name to respect on Tatooine. Skywalker made it off. Skywalker was legendary. Even the great Jabba the Hutt himself awed and respected the name of Anakin Skywalker, and was killed by a Skywalker himself.

Who was she to take the name of someone so great?

Rey made her way into the shop of the one person she trusted on this twisted, backward little planet.

An old woman approached her as Rey took her hood off.

“Ahh, hello Rey!” said the woman with a gentle smile. It was the woman who first greeted her when she arrived.

Rey looked at her, walking into the shop. When Rey greeted Ami, she returned the genuine smile.

“Hello, Ami!” Rey said. The only other friend she had on this planet.

The small shop was towards the back of Mos Eisley, and in its eroded shape, it had a welcoming spirit about it that Rey didn’t feel anywhere else. It was built with sturdy carved rocks, crafted to withstand decades of territorial disputes and galactic wars.

Ami Mira was the only person willing to listen to Rey when she arrived in Tatooine. They had talked as soon as she had landed on Tatooine. When she introduced herself, Ami mused. She hadn't heard the name Skywalker in almost a decade. Ami brought her in and told Rey the ins and outs of Tatooine. She had been herding Dewbacks, but when her husband died, she had taken over his store and settled into running it with her son, selling and trading parts and food.

Ami had told Rey what she had heard of the Skywalkers who lived here before, Luke, Shmi, and Anakin, Uncle Owen, and Aunt Beru, all of which had become local heroes of Tatooine. Names to fear and respect in even the scummiest of areas.

In return, Rey told her of her adventures with the Resistance, fighting with Luke, training with Leia, freeing the galaxy.

Ami's shop had brought a semblance of happiness to Rey’s dull life. And it brought Rey company. It was the least she could do since Ami’s son had gone off to fight with the Resistance about five years back. 

“I’ve been saving this part for you. It took me two months to find it! I had my son deliver it though, so it's been in good hands.” Ami said, pulling out the hyperspace integrator. Rey picked it up and inspected it, just to be sure.

“Mmm, it’s amazing how the smallest of parts can give you the most trouble,” Rey said, looking over the cylindrical part.

“Funny how life can work like that,” Ami agreed with a knowing look on her face.

“Speaking of your son,” Rey said, subtly switching the conversation, “how is he?”

“Oh, you know him. Going out there, fighting for the Resistance. Liberating the galaxy!” Ami smiled at the thought. “Perhaps he and your friends may finally free Tatooine of its horrid fate.”

“Perhaps,” Rey said as her voice trailed off into her thoughts.

“How are your friends, Rey?” Ami asked. 

“Well, saving the galaxy too. I honestly don’t quite know where they are, though. I assume they’re still on the same base on the jungle planet Ajan Kloss.”

“So they don’t call you? Tell you where they are?” Ami asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. 

“Oh no! They call me all right, we just—never seem to talk about that. We always—just sort of—wind up making small talk. I feel like I haven’t really talked to them in months. I feel like I don’t know them anymore. Like—like they don’t know me anymore.” Rey sighed.

"Ah,” Ami said, thoughtfully.

BB-8 beeped and then bumped into Rey’s leg.

“Oh yes! Thank you for reminding me, Beebee-ate!” Rey scooted closer to Ami Mira, and fumbled with a necklace, removing it, and holding it up. “Here’s what you asked for. I found another one after crafting my lightsaber. This is the last Kyber Crystal I’ve found.” Rey gestured towards Ami, but she was reluctant to take it. “It’s a fair trade, Ami. Take it.”

“But—but you told me you were saving it for someone. For Ben, right?” Ami looked at Rey sincerely, with warmth and sadness mixing in her old eyes.

“You asked for it, and I agreed. It’s a fair trade. If your son is Force-sensitive, he’ll need it, now more than ever. Don’t worry, it isn’t active. I made sure of it.”

Ami reached her hands out and took the Kyber Crystal, cupping her old, delicate fingers around it. She looked at it, entranced. “Thank you—thank you so much, Rey.”

Rey nodded with a quiet smile. “Give it to your son the next time you see him. I suspect he'll know what to do with it. And thank you for the part.” Ami nodded back, giving Rey another small smile, lending Rey a warmth she hadn’t felt since she helped the people in Batuu.

“Well,” started Rey, dropping the part into a bag on her belt, “I had best be on my way. I would like to have that part fixed by mid-afternoon.”

“Oh!” Ami said, moving away from behind the counter. "Do you need any tools?" she asked, motioning to a bin of tools she had.

Rey turned around giving Ami a soft grin and shook her head. “Oh no, I’ve got everything I need,” and made her way out of Ami’s small shop

Rey’s hair whipped in the wind, even in its tight buns. She sped back through the path on Tatooine, laser-focused on the singular task of fixing the _Millennium Falcon_.

The heat scorched her, each breath a parched cry for water, her arid surroundings aiding in her feeling trapped. Beads of salty sweat rolled down her forehead. She hated every brutal minute of this tired desert life. 

Rey took her goggles off as the speeder came to a stop. She parked it and turned BB-8 loose. She slid down into the center of the old Lars’ homestead and ran to the workshop in the back, digging through piles of old tools.

She stuck the needed ones in a satchel she picked up on her way in and ran upstairs through another part of the house. She motioned for BB-8 as she walked a short ways from the house to where the Falcon was perched.

Rey arrived at the Falcon in silence. BB-8 beeped a stray comment as Rey reached up to flip a switch. The hydraulics hissed as the door slowly swung down. Rey put her saber down and walked in, releasing a deep sigh, sending the memories flooding through her head.

“I wonder if this is what Luke felt, too.” Rey mused as she moved grates to access the broken part. Rey scooted down into the grate system and tore wires away from the cylindrical part. BB-8 rolled up with a small beep.

“Oh yes, please,” Rey said, extending a hand to receive the part BB-8 was offering her.

She twisted the wires back into place, handled a few loose parts, and backed up to admire her handiwork.

“Looks good, right Beebee-ate?” BB-8 gave a satisfied noise looking at the part. She climbed back out and slipped the grate back into place. She sat on the grate and tucked her knees in as she looked over to the cockpit and then she glanced at BB-8. She let out a shaky breath trying to keep it all in as she glanced back at the cockpit.

The dam broke. Tears dripped out of her eyes. She put her hand to her mouth as if to hold back more emotions from flooding out. The more she tried to hold them back, the more they rolled on, quickly spiraling from small cries to heaving sobs. She couldn’t pretend anymore.

“Ben Solo,” screamed her mind and it wouldn’t stop. BB-8 vocalized, asking if she was ok. She responded in between the sobs.

“No! I’m not ok! I—I—“ trailed off her voice.

“I lost everything. Everything. My friends and family, my hope, my connection to the Force, and Ben! I lost Ben Solo! Everyone worked so kriffing hard to bring him back to the light! Why did he have to die for me? I’m a Palpatine! A desert rat! He’s a Solo! He could change things!

“It was all supposed to be okay! He wasn’t supposed to die! I wasn’t supposed to die!”

As her words dragged on, the tears muffled them incoherently. She struggled to reach out to Ben, and her sobs grew to wails. A knot in the pit of her stomach told her there was nothing she could do. No way to get him back.

So she cried. Sitting with her fears and anxieties that she had been buried for years now. She had spent so much time trying to fix everything else, that she had neglected to fix herself.

BB-8 rolled up and sat. He, apart from Leia, was the only one who knew the whole story from the start. Rey had confided in BB-8 after the situation on Crait. From then on, BB-8 knew everything about Rey and Ben.

“Is this love, Ben? Do you just die and—and leave me alone? Is this what you wanted?” Rey screamed into the Force, as if trying to reopen her connection, which was now nothing but an old wound. She doubled over, kneeling and crying into her palms, wiping the tears from her face, but her vision blurred a few seconds later.

“Force, Ben. I love you so much. Why did you have to kriffing leave me? Why did you have to go? Life is meaningless without you, Ben!” She breathed a pained laugh in between the tears.

“You—you and the Resistance gave my life meaning, and—and purpose. What do I have now?” She mumbled.

“Before you came, I just—waited. Waited for someone who would never come back. I—I guess that’s what I’m stuck with again.”

Rey huddled into the corner, and the pain eventually dulled. An incoming call on the _Millennium Falcon_ perked her up. BB-8 rolled over to look and determined it was from Poe and Finn.

Rey quickly let out a small gasp and wiped the tears from her face, trying to make it look like she hadn’t been crying for about half-an-hour. She took a few deep, calming breaths and told BB-8 to answer.

“Hey! Rey! We’ve been trying to reach you for about an hour now!” Poe said trying to keep cool as a pilot should, but his voice betrayed a mix of annoyance and concern.

“Yeah!" Finn said, amplifying Poe’s hints of concern from the back of the cramped two-seater X-Wing.

“Oh,” Rey stuttered. “I’ve been here, fixing the _Millennium Falcon_. I was just about to take it out for a test flight.”

“Well, I figured that after I called the homestead communicator five times and you didn’t pick up.”

"Yeah, well, I was here," Rey mumbled. An awkward silence passed between the three of them until BB-8 piped up.

"Beebee! Rey, why the hell do you still have my droid?" Finn nudged him in the back. "Ok, ok, I get it, you're lonely. So you take _my_ droid. Why didn't you take Artoo?"

Rey couldn’t help but laugh a little as Finn butts in with an annoyed sounding "Poe!"

Poe quipped back with, "Okay, okay, fine! But for the record, I am, in fact--upset--and annoyed that you took Beebee."

"Anyway," Finn said trying to change the topic, "I hope you don't mind that we're dropping by for an unexpected visit."

"When?" Rey interrogated.

She got her answer soon as she heard a rumble coming from outside the falcon. Rey ran outside and looked to see a two-seater X-Wing landing next to the _Millennium Falcon_.

Rey burst into a wide grin and sprinted towards the ship. BB-8 rolled not too far behind. Finn swooped Rey up in a friendly embrace, spinning her around and hugging her tight. 

"Right now." Finn smiled.

Poe picked up BB-8 and hugged him. Finn beheld the sight between Poe and BB-8. "Never get in the way of the bond between man and droid."

"Oh yeah right, laugh it up, Finn."

"Who's laughing? I'm not laughing!" Finn retorted back. Rey chuckled again, happy to finally get a break with her old friends

"Okay, break it up. C'mon," Rey said, closing the door to the Falcon. "Break it up. Let's go inside."

"Yeah, damn, I forgot how hot it is on desert planets,” Poe said, walking towards the homestead with the little droid loyally trailing after Poe.

Finn and Rey followed behind, walking towards the homestead.

“What made you both come?” Rey piped up as they entered the homestead.

“Rey, are you joking?” Finn laughed. “We’re your friends! This is what friends do for each other!”

“The Resistance misses you, Rey,” Poe added.

“Well, I miss them.” Rey smiled. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Musical Inspirations for this chapter:

[How Do You Love Someone - Ashely Tisdale](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=-I1gy7S3SVs&list=PLtEh99eeqcZgVStzK2dfpBsIOm0PYqDho)

[The Next Right Thing - Kristen Bell](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRkny1Ey5s&list=PLtEh99eeqcZgVStzK2dfpBsIOm0PYqDho)

Thanks to this Chapter's Beta Readers:

Saber @ <https://saberwolf.tumblr.com/>

Grace @ <https://thewarinourstarwars.tumblr.com/>


End file.
